The benefits of having siblings

Siblings who stay connected as they grow older not only
support each other emotionally, studies show; they also help improve each other’s
physical and mental health.

The benefits of having brothers and sisters are evident at even an earlier
age, according to recent research from BrighamYoungUniversity. Ten- to
14-year-olds with a sister are less likely to feel lonely, self-conscious and
fearful, the BYU study shows. It doesn’t matter if the sister is older or
younger, according to a story in Science Daily, which provided some details
about the study.

The research was conducted by BYU professor Laura Padilla-Walker, who
teaches in the university’s School
of Family Life. The study
is part of BYU’s Fluorishing Families Project, which examines the importance of families to individuals and assesses how families deal with the daily and extraordinary stresses of life.

According to Padilla-Walker, having “a loving sibling” – brother or sister –
also encouraged children to help others and take better care of themselves. “In
fact,loving siblings fostered charitable attitudes more than loving parents
did,” wrote Science Daily. “The relationship between sibling affection and good
deeds was twice as strong as that between parenting and good deeds.”

Even though most siblings have a tendency to argue and
fight, lessons are actually learned from all that squabbling. Another study
from OhioStateUniversity,
which examined the behaviors of more than 20,000 children nationwide, found
that kids who grew up with more or more siblings get along better with their
peers in kindergarten. They’re also better at getting along with people who are
different and show sensitivity to other’s feelings as a result of learning how
to resolve conflict at home.

What are other benefits of having brothers and sisters? How about the
benefits of having or being an only child?

Posted Aug. 2, 2010, 11:49 p.m.

This blog is intended to provide a forum for parents to share knowledge and resources. It's a place for parents young and old to combine their experiences raising families into a collective whole to help others.